Design principles for the formation of ordered patterns in binary mixtures of colloidal particles on spherical droplets

Abstract

We elucidate the design principles for the formation of ordered structures formed by binary mixtures of particles on spherical surfaces, such as emulsion droplets, polymer vesicles, and col- loidal nanoparticles. Using grand-canonical Monte Carlo simulations we explore different potential parameters observing a number of packing patterns. Interparticle interactions are described us- ing a combination of Lennard-Jones and Yukawa potentials, mimicking the short-range attraction, long-range repulsion often observed in colloidal systems. We show the strength of the electrostatic interaction is one of the key parameters driving the formation of ordered patterns. We also show that the formation of Janus particles, through segregation of different types of particles, is possible for carefully chosen parameter combinations and identify regions of the parameter space presenting each pattern.